Abdominal supporter.



, s.l H. SUBLETT, sg.

ABDOMINAL SUPPORTER. APPLIOATIOH FILED 116.213, 1909.'

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

Y' l l tmnup Wihwsoaa UNITED sTATns PATENT OFFCE.

ABDoMrNAL sUPPonTnn..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

Application lled August 23, 1909. Serial No. 514,225.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL H. SUBLETT, Sr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Hatton, in the county of Polk and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful Abdominal Supporter, of which the following is a specification.

It is the obj ect of the present invention to provide an improved construction of abdominal sup sorter and the invention aims more particu arly to provide a supporter of this class which will be especially well adapted for use in cases of falling of the womb and in other uterine displacements.

A further obj ect of the invention is to so construct the supporter that it will not interfere with the bladder in the performance of its proper functions.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a supporter of this general class which will embody means exerting pressure on the course of the round ligaments thereby tending to draw the displaced uterus into normal position. Further, this means is so arranged as to tend to narrow the pelvic cavity whereby to support the abdominal viscera and prevent pressure on the pelvic organs.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown a perspective view of the supporter embodying the present invention and comprised, in part, of a wire frame, the intermediate portion of which, indicated by the numeral 5, is of substantially U-form. The sides or spaced arms of the frame are bent each into inverted U-form as indicated by 4the numeral 6. Before proceeding with a description of other elements of the supporter, it may be well to state that this frame is to be disposed upon the trunk of the wearer with the inverted U-shaped portions 6 fitting one over each hip and with the first mentioned U-shaped portion 4 eX- tending across the back of the wearer. Vhile the wire of which this frame is formed is resilient, and the frame will, by consequence of this property, be held or supported upon the trunk by the enga ement of its inverted U-shaped portions with the hips, it is preferable that an additional supporting means be provided and this means is embodied in a waist band 7 which is to be fastened around the waist and adjusted by means of a buckle 8, and tabs 9 which are freely slidable upon the waist band and have connection with the midlength of the inverted U-shaped portions of the frame heretofore described. The wire of the frame is preferably covered with rubber tubing indicated by the numeral 10.

At each terminal of the wire comprising the frame is fixed a button or pressure pad 11 which bears against the abdomen of the wearer when the device is applied. A pad 12 which is of greater length than height is attached loosely to the intermediate or mid-length of the U-shaped part 5 of the frame and this pad, which is preferably comprised of several pieces or laminae of felt stitched together, rests against the back of the wearer.

It will be understood from the foregoing that a device embodying solely the elements heretofore described might be fitted to a large or small person equally well as the two inverted U-shaped portions of the wire frame, owing to the resiliency of the wire, may be separated at the time of application but will be sprung into engagement with the hips when released. ln such a structure there is the disadvantage that the two but tons at the terminals of the wire of the frame will in all probability be spread apart too great a distance when the device is applied in the manner stated thereby rendering the device uncomfortable and ineffective for the purpose for which it is designed. Hence it is expedient that some means be provided whereby these buttons may be held the desired distance apart regardless of the waist measure of the wearer of the supporter. The means just mentioned is embodied in a strap 13 which is formed with a loop 14: fitted loosely upon one terminal of t-he wire frame directly above the button thereat, a loop 15 which is similarly arranged upon the other terminal, and a buckle 16 carried by the loop 15 and with which the strap 13 is adjustably engaged whereby the terminal portions of the frame may be drawn toward each other or be allowed to separate to the desired degree.

The open sides of the arms 6 permit lateral movements of the thighs, and the fact that each button is rigidly connected with the other only through three U bends permits movements of the legs as in walking. The loosely fitted loops and the flexible connection between them permits alternate movements of the buttons forward and backward and up and down. And if the shape of the wearers trunk should tend to cause the device to Work out of place, the waistband and its connections will prevent.

From the foregoing description of the invention it will be seen that there is provided a supporter of the class described which may be readily applied to the body and properly held in position thereon and that the pressure exert-ing means embodied in the supporter ,may be relatively adjusted so as to bear upon that portion of the abdomen which will tend to draw the displaced uterus into normal position and' narrow the pelvic cavity whereby to support, in a proper manner, the abdominal viscera.

What is claimed is:

An abdominal supporter comprising a frame composed of a single strand of spring Wire bent at its center into U form and its arms bent into inverted U form, rubber tubing covering the wire throughout, a pad 

